Oxfordshire Cricket are delighted to announce the appointment of Harrison Ward as the new captain of White Ball Cricket ahead of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) Twenty20 and One Day Trophy competitions in 2025.
Harrison Ward is a product of the Oxfordshire Pathway and became the youngest player to make a century for Men’s 1st XI when scoring 109 not out on his Championship debut against Herefordshire in 2015. Harrison progressed through the Academy with our first class county partners Sussex County Cricket Club (Sussex CCC), represented England at Under 19’s level and was rewarded his first professional contract with Sussex CCC in 2021. Last year, Harrison was a key member of the Sussex CCC T20 team that reached the Vitality Blast Final Days and was added to the Oval Invincibles squad for the Hundred competition.
For Oxfordshire, Harrison has been a key member of the Men’s white ball team over recent years, helping the County to lift the NCCA T20 Competition title in 2022 and to make the T20 Finals Day once again in 2024 before rain abandoned both attempts to play the finals day. Harrison’s match winning performance on the pitch is not without recognition having been awarded the NCCA Most Valuable Player (NVP) in the T20 competition in 2024, and the third most valuable in the same format during the 2022 winning campaign.
Oxfordshire Cricket would like to congratulate Harrison on his appointment and wish him every success in his new role as captain of the White ball formats.
Reacting to his appointment Harrison Ward said:
“First of all I would like to thank both Rupert Evans and Matt Barnes for asking me to take on the role as white ball captain. I always enjoy coming back and playing for Oxfordshire, so to take over the role as white ball captain is an honour. Following on from Jonny Cater as captain shouldn’t be a hard task as he has captained the team extremely well and left it in a really exciting place. I’m excited to see where we can go in the white ball competitions in the coming years as we have a good mix of experience and youth. Hopefully we can keep improving our performance in 50 over and go one further in the t20 competition this year if the weather allows!
Head Coach, Rupert Evans said:
“Harrison is a product of the Oxfordshire Pathway and Emerging Players programme. He made his County Championship debut at age 15 against Herefordshire at Brockhampton CC in 2015 scoring 100 in the second innings. Since his debut, Harrison has developed into a three-dimensional player who has progressed to become a permanent member of Sussex CCC T20 side.
Harrison has gained captaincy experience over the past few seasons captaining Sussex 2nd X1. He also captained Oxfordshire last season against Buckinghamshire to retain the Nurton/York Trophy. Harrison is well respected by his teammates and opponents. I am pleased he has accepted the challenge of succeeding Jonny Cater as county white ball captain. I am looking forward to supporting him in his new role.”